Dog breeder Ashley Fenn recently lodged a development application with Murray River Council for a facility on Thyra Rd that could house a maximum of 200 dogs and 120 pups.
And it has not only caused a stir in the Echuca-Moama community, but around the country.
Mr Fenn has defended himself against allegations by animal welfare group Oscar's Law, which set up the petition against the proposed breeding facility.
It comes after the public voiced concerns last year about two potential new animal boarding and training facilities to be built near Moama — on Nine Mile Rd and Womboota Rd — in the next few years.
Mr Fenn, who is a former Family First Party candidate, said the property, which is set to breed French and British bulldogs for export and show, would be an asset to the twin towns.
“The proposed development will employ upwards of 20 staff on and off the property, plus bring hundreds of thousands of dollars into the local economy through local suppliers of goods and services,” he said.
He said he and his team were taking the right steps to ensure the new facility would be above board.
“It is unfortunate, but the opponents of the proposed development have used misleading information, unrelated photos of distressed and mistreated animals to run a fear-based campaign to push their agenda,” he said.
“We consistently work with the RSPCA and local government bodies to ensure our farms and facilities are 100 per cent compliant in all aspects.
“This proposed development is another example where our kennels are six times larger and more comfortable that the required legislation provides for, together with additional exercise and play area facilities.”
Oscar’s Law president Georgie Purcell said the sheer magnitude of signatures on the petition opposing Mr Fenn's proposal showed tens of thousands of people across Australia shared her concerns about the application.
“The number of emails sent to Murray River Council sends a clear message that they must reject this application,” she said.
“There is no other option.”
Murray River Council Mayor Chris Bilkey said while council was limited by what it could do because of NSW legislation, he was determined to make changes within the area sooner rather than later.
“The strict laws that came into effect in Victoria have had an unprecedented impact on commercial breeding operations moving across the border into NSW, where the NSW state legislation is not as strict on these types of activities,” he said.
“Therefore, council is very limited in terms of what we can legally consider in determining a development application.
“In recognition of the differences in regulation between the two states, council has developed a Draft Murray River Companion Animal Breeding Policy to provide additional requirements for such establishments in our area.
“Murray River Council believes while the NSW state government is reviewing its regulatory framework around such establishments, it is moving far too slowly and border councils such as ours need to have a more stringent regulatory environment provided by the government for the operation of such facilities.”
NSW Animal Justice party MP Emma Hurst is opposing the application, noting there was a surge of breeders coming across the border into NSW as a result of the Victorian ban on puppy farming.
“Murray River Council have already approved the development of multiple developments last year, including one right across the road from this proposed site,” she said.
Council is set to vote on the application in coming weeks.
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